title: Solar hydrogen generation by nanoscale p-n junction of p-type molybdenum disulfide/n-type nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide.
abstract: Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a promising candidate for solar hydrogen generation but it alone has negligible photocatalytic activity. In this work, 5-20 nm sized p-type MoS2 nanoplatelets are deposited on the n-type nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (n-rGO) nanosheets to form multiple nanoscale p-n junctions in each rGO nanosheet. The p-MoS2/n-rGO heterostructure shows significant photocatalytic activity toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in the wavelength range from the ultraviolet light through the near-infrared light. The photoelectrochemical measurement shows that the p-MoS2/n-rGO junction greatly enhances the charge generation and suppresses the charge recombination, which is responsible for enhancement of solar hydrogen generation. The p-MoS2/n-rGO is an earth-abundant and environmentally benign photocatalyst for solar hydrogen generation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506-6106, United States.
authors.forename: Fanke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Jiangtian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Scott K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Cushing
authors.forename: Mingjia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhi
authors.forename: Nianqiang
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D004220:Disulfides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D006108:Graphite / Q000737:chemistry*; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D008982:Molybdenum / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D004220:Disulfides; D010087:Oxides; D006108:Graphite; D006859:Hydrogen; D008982:Molybdenum; D009584:Nitrogen; C082964:molybdenum disulfide